Sermon on the Mount

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

28 September 2003

  1. Introduction
    1. 4 of 12
  2. Well, where are we
    1. Today’s sermon provides an interesting transition between the descriptions of the character a Kingdom Citizen to the Life of a Kingdom Citizen. From who we are to how we live.
    2. Consequently, people often make the error of switching mental gears. Up to this point they are agreed to this that we are poor in Spirit, and recognize our utter bankruptcy and his imputed righteousness. Got It. Then they read BE salt and light followed by some fairly convicting do and don’ts, and the same old despair is back. All of the previous equity and mental training of the introduction go out the window with fear of even harder law! Law harder than that of the Pharisees (v.20). Then some do a little religious arithmetic: I have not achieved this super-Christian Status. I am not salt. Consequently, I will be tossed out of the kingdom and trampled under the feet of humanity. Curses!
    3. Well, I tell you what. Let’s keep this sermon in the context of the last three. Could Jesus be recommending that you must achieve a new even higher standard to be a member of this Kingdom? Is this life in the Kingdom dependant on your level of commitment?
  3. Before we begin to look at an answer, let’s pray.
  4. Matthew 5:13-16
  5. Salt and Light
    1. This passage has been handled more ways than you can possibly imagine. Seriously, it amazing. And I could go for some time on many points within the few words – but I will not. Hold your applause :~)
    2. For example, I could talk about all the possible meanings and uses for Salt. That could be a 12-part series on its own. I am afraid that much of this misses the point of this compact little periscope and perhaps even allegorizes the meaning. Now please do not misunderstand me. Often there is a lot to be mined for the smallest portion of text. Remember who the meta-author of this book is. Think of the first words of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.” Dude.
    3. In this case however, I think a plain read may keep a potentially confusing bit of Scripture understandable
    4. A couple points by way of introduction:

                                                              i.      Both of these maxims begins with the emphatic Greek pronoun “Humeis” – you, yourselves. In other words, these are particular proclamation about Christians. These are not general truisms about nice people. This is solely Kingdom property. You are salt and light.

                                                            ii.      Notice also it makes it clear that the disciples listen ARE already salt and light. The Passage does not say, “If you do such and such, then you are salt and light. I just says you ARE Salt and light, so get used to!

                                                          iii.      Then each is flowed by an example of something plainly ridiculous, the actual word here is “foolish.” Unsalty salt or covered light

1.      You are Salt. If Salt looses is Saltiness is useless and worth nothing. Salt is meant to be Salt- the end. It’s not meant to be anything else.

a.      I do not think that what is in mind here is the utter impossibility of Salt to not be Salt. Rather Salt was known to get mixed with to may other impurities, sand and the like to be useful for its work

b.      Again, I would like to emphasize context. This is not a warning that you will tossed from the Kingdom if you get “un-salty.” It is clear that you will be the height of ridiculousness – useless in the world. Just useless! Still a member of the kingdom, just a bad one ;~)

    1. So, for the purposes of this sermon, salt is just that Salt. Please feel free to conjecture over the properties and uses of salt, but here I just want you to think of salt as something of importance to religious life and different than anything else in the world. Salt works on meat because it is not meat. It is different. We are Salty because we are Different!
    2. Now, there is a crux point. We, Christians, are different from the world around us. In what way? What makes us salty? Context!! We know that we have everything, especially our saltiness because WE bring nothing. We are poor in Spirit, we mourn our nature, we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we are and meek, merciful and peacemakers in person.
    3. Every other religion, including the ruling Pharisaic religion of the day, every other religion today promises the very same thing – BE GOOD AND GOD WILL LOVE YOU. Only Christianity, only Christ says, come to me and I will give you MY righteousness. Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden. My Yoke is easy and my burden is light. Only Christianity. This is an unmitigated claim to truth. This, by the way, is the most offensive thing I can possibly say from this pulpit. We and WE alone are the salt and light of the earth. We loose our saltiness we cease to be different. When we get mixed with all the other religious ideas, we become useless. And if we do not proclaim this difference we are like salt without saltiness – an obvious foolishness. A Waste – Useless.
  1. So now what? Do we just kick-back and enjoy the ride? Certainly Not! Do not get confused here. DYNAMIC TENSION. We are not saved by works, but we are certainly saved for works. That is what makes the following light analogy so perfectly fitting. You ARE, already by Christ’s Virtue, the light of the world. As Millard puts it, we are righteous as we can ever be in Christ and our sanctification is more like getting used to who we are than becoming who we are. Well, we ARE Children of the light, so let’s live like children of the light – don’t do something ridiculous like cover it up. You miss your purpose.!
  2. Slightly less assorted in meaning as salt, light is an often used attribute of God, who lives in impenetrable light and Jesus who comes as THE light to the world.
  3. Let me make a three quick points about being “light”
    1. The light is derivative

                                                              i.      The light is not ours. The light is his. So that when we come aware of our emptiness, His light can be reflected in us

                                                            ii.      See if this popular analogy helps. The moon derives its light form the sun. It has no light of its own –it is void, but it is brilliant as it reflects derivative light from the sun. In fact, if it was a slightly luminary body, it would fail to reflect the much greater light of the sun! It works because it brings nothing to the arrangement.

    1. Light is calling and Purpose

                                                              i.      Light is a source of beauty. Like Salt is critical to the operation and sustain of life, so is light. Our reflected light can be manifest is so many ways. Mercy, acts of grace and kindness. This is not hard to imagine and I do not need to spell it out. You have heard it all before. “Rather than curse the darkness, light a candle.” Agreed.

                                                            ii.      You have heard me wonder before what the impact would be if Christians reflected more of this light and were known around the world for the light they brought into darkness. I have said before that this is not the first association with most Christian. I am afraid certainly myself. We should be known for what we do, not what we do not do –grace, mercy, etc. I cam prove it. If ever there is a conversation about the good work of Christianity, Mother Teresa’s name come up, without failure. This is sad really. Is that all we got. The poor women may have died from trying to carry the weight of all of our good work.

    1. Light may be unwelcome

                                                              i.      I think less obvious is that light is often unwelcome. If you have lived your whole life in a dark subterranean room and someone came in shining a bright flashlight in your eyes, it would hurt. It would certainly unveil to your sickly and likely diseased body. It would show the unhealthy and disgusting circumstances of your environment. You first thought may be much more like kill the guy with the flashlight than it would be, get a flashlight of your own. I can prove this too. When the man of light came to earth. They killed him. And you know what he promised us? Reflect my light and people may want to kill you to.

                                                            ii.      I left last week wondering how my life would ever garner any persecution. My life is easy and I am surrounded by “friendly” people. I think I may be coming to an answer.

1.      Talk about this salty, different truth. This Kingdom unlike any other, where acceptance is not won, is given. Where the law does not condemn but instruct.

2.      Live as light, which most the time will please but as sin increases around us, as the darkness grows around us, the light will be unwelcome

  1. So What
    1. I think the so what on this sermon is easier than I expected it to be. So here it goes.

                                                              i.      Don’t you dare switch into religious mode and hear the impending moral code as your command to be salty or get the boot. It does not fit the context at all

                                                            ii.      We are salty because our religion is unequivocally different. Salvation by Grace and Life in the Kingdom by His Merit is solely Christian/Kingdom property. The humanist/idealist, the Pharisee, the Modern Hebrew, the Muslim. All of them  ought to hate this accursed passage – It is way too Salty

                                                          iii.      We May not be saved by works but we sure are saved for them! Remember we ARE light so we should start living our REAL CHARARCTER. Our light is to shine to be a sign to others and redound glory to God.

                                                           iv.      So ask yourself, do you come in the reality of your humble state? Are your poor in Spirit recognizing that you did not nor will you in this life bring any of your own power or righteousness to the table. Because when you do, you can rest and reflect the glory of His light. Your sinful nature need not drive you into despair. It need only drive you to Christ. It does not need to come as a surprise, like, oh no! my Christianity did not work, I behaved monstrously. No kidding!  Get quiet, slow down, be realistic about you and let the light of Christ penetrate your being and burst out as powerful derivative light.

                                                             v.      And when it does, people will see your good works and praise God, or they will hate you and persecute you. But either way you are living your purpose. You are not ridiculous like light under a cover or salt without saltiness. You are living your purpose. Your are living Life in the Kingdom!!

  1. Last year I played a piece for you that I want o play again in a moment. It is a piece from an artist by the name of Robin Marks. In the quiet before it starts, get honest with yourself, get humble in Spirit. Then I want you to imagine the moon away from the sun during an eclipse, dark, cold and void. Then as the music starts, imagine the as the earth comes around, the sun beings to spill over the rim of the globe and poor onto the surface of the moon and it begins to shine brighter and brighter. In the same way let the light of God pour over you. Your nature comes as no surprise to God. He is not disappointed in you. He sees in you the perfection wrought by the son. Rest and be filled with his light.
  2. If you do not know this kingdom or this king what I am saying is going to strike you in one of two ways:
    1. One, you are going to think I am an idiot and maybe even dangerous.
    2. Two, you heart is going to stir and you are going to hunger and thirst for this peace with God and this other righteousness. In the first case, feel free to tell me, it would not come as a surprise. In the second. You take the time to “see” the same picture. Proclaim yourself void before God, recognize Jesus as the Savior and let His light pour over you.